Super-famous Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada — best known stateside for his roles in The Last Samurai and Rush Hour 3 — is joining the sixth and final season of Lost, sources confirm to me exclusively.

Who’s Sanada playing? Beats the hell out of me. I squeezed every last one of my moles for deets and the only thing I came up with is that it’s a “significant recurring” role. Sounds like a case for Doc Jensen…

“My prediction,” says D.J., “is that he will play a mystical mystery man who serves as John Locke’s Obi-Wan-meets-Mr. Miyagi in the post-Jughead rebooted Lost timeline. Attuned to The Island’s magic — perhaps an embodiment of The Island itself — Hiroyuki’s character will help the amnesiac Locke rediscover his destiny to become The Island knight/protector and guide him back, even as dark forces conspire to stop Locke and the rest of the castaways from going back.”

Yeah, I suspected as much.

This is the second major piece of season 6 Lost casting to break this week. On Wednesday, it was announced that Deadwood‘s John Hawkes had been tapped to play Lennon, the “scruffy, edgy, charismatic spokesperson/translator for the president of a foreign corporation.”

Got a theory about Sanada’s role? Do you agree with Jensen? Sound off below!

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Maybe Hanso, but whoever he is I’m getting a bit leery of all the cast additions. They will have a hard enough time wrapping up the existing storylines without getting into fleshing out new characters. If they are just small parts, then great, but if they are backstory-flashback episode type roles – yikes.

seriously – I’ll take the wisdom of the producers over some random’s leeriness.

Vetinari

Sat 08/22/09 1:58 AM

Ah I didn’t know the part had already been cast. Like most viewers, I don’t watch all the nerdapalooza extras, it’s just a tv show to me. As to the guy below – well he’s no less a “random” than I am.

Paul

Fri 08/21/09 2:52 PM

Ok, isn’t it obvious. Shimosawa is going to be the “president of a foreign corporation” that needs a translator. What his significance beyond that is anyones guess. But when you have 2 significant castings announced within a few days of each other – one part being for a translator and the other being cast with an actor from another country, can’t you put 2 and 2 together. Granted in the LOST world, 2 and 2 could easily be 5.

I’m with Vetinari–if it’s significant, I’m guessing Hanso. Though I think the creators came out and basically said there are no flashforwards/flashbacks predominant in the 6th season. Maybe flash-sides?

I agree fernando, it could easily be a young mr. paik. we have always known he was somehow connected to the island and the dharma initiave but never have been given any backstory. if this is the case, it is about god damn time.